Horrific Mass Shooting at Canadian School Leaves 10 Dead
Ten people are dead after a female shooter opened fire at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence in British Columbia. The suspect died of a self-inflicted wound following the deadliest Canadian school shooting in nearly 40 years.
A shooter killed nine people and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence on Tuesday, leaving 10 people dead in one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history, the authorities said.
The attack occurred around 1:20 p.m. local time at the small grades 7–12 school in this remote northeastern British Columbia town of roughly 2,400 people. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded to reports of an active shooter and found six victims dead inside the school, along with the body of the suspect from an apparent self-inflicted injury.
A seventh victim died while being transported to hospital. Two additional bodies were later found at a residence that police believe is connected to the incident.
About 25 to 27 people were injured, including at least two with life-threatening wounds who were airlifted to hospitals for treatment.
All remaining students and staff were safely evacuated.
The suspect was a woman, described in initial police alerts as wearing a dress with brown hair. Authorities have identified her but have not released her name or age. The motive remains under investigation, and officers have said they may struggle to determine a clear reason for the attack.The RCMP’s Major Crime Unit is leading the inquiry. No other suspects are being sought.
A shelter-in-place order for the community and surrounding areas was issued and later lifted.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the attack and was grieving with those whose lives had been “changed irreversibly.” British Columbia Premier David Eby described it as an “unimaginable tragedy.”
The shooting is the deadliest at a Canadian school in nearly 40 years. It ranks as the third-deadliest mass shooting in the country, behind the 2020 Nova Scotia rampage that killed 22 and the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal that killed 14.
Tumbler Ridge, located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains more than 1,100 kilometers (685 miles) north of Vancouver, is a tight-knit community still processing the loss.
Support services have been made available to families and residents.
The investigation is continuing.